Guwahati : The Gauhati High Court on Thursday issued a notice to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in response to multiple petitions seeking action against him over alleged hate speeches targeting the Muslim community.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Arun Dev Choudhury heard arguments in the matter and directed that notices be served to the Chief Minister as well as to the Central and Assam governments. The next hearing has been scheduled for April.

 Senior Advocate CU Singh, appearing for some of the petitioners, alleged that the Chief Minister had made targeted remarks against “Miya” Muslims in Assam. He referred to statements in which Sarma allegedly suggested restricting voting rights of members of the community and indicated plans to alter voter lists.

During the hearing, the court observed that the statements cited in the petitions appeared to reflect a possible “fissiparous tendency,” but clarified that it would examine all submissions in detail before arriving at any conclusion.

The petitions cite multiple incidents, including a January 27 speech in which Sarma allegedly claimed that several lakh “Miya” voters would be removed from electoral rolls. The plea also refers to a February 7 video circulated by the BJP’s Assam unit that reportedly showed the Chief Minister aiming at animated images representing Muslim men, accompanied by captions such as “Point blank shot” and “No Mercy.”

The petitions were filed by the Indian National Congress, Assamese scholar Hiren Gohain, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and others. The petitioners approached the High Court after the Supreme Court of India directed them to first seek relief before the jurisdictional High Court.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the Chief Minister’s repeated statements demonstrated a pattern of incitement inconsistent with his constitutional responsibilities. He submitted that even though the controversial video was later taken down, it had already garnered over a million views.

Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora also appeared for the petitioners, contending that the statements reflected a sustained pattern of remarks against a particular community. She cited instances in which the Chief Minister allegedly discouraged students from enrolling in institutions founded by members of minority communities, linking such choices to floods or other adverse events in the state.

The petitioners have argued that the alleged remarks violate constitutional principles, including secularism and equality, and could have implications for law and order.

With notices now formally issued to the Chief Minister and the concerned government authorities, the High Court is set to examine the matter in detail at the next hearing in April.